The Noble Blades Company

Senior Members are those who have proved themselves not only adept at various principles and techniques of stage combat, but also trustworthy to represent the Noble Blades on their own. Senior Members may be sent as representatives of the Noble Blades (as workshop instructors, fight choreographers, etc.) without supervision.

Company Members are those who have displayed a competent working knowledge of stage combat and are self-reliant in continuing their training and research. Company members will be the chief resource of the company when casting performances, demonstrations, or for Asst. Instructors.

The current Company Membership was re-founded and voted in by the Noble Blades Board of Directors in May 2024

Senior Members

Adam Konowe

Adam is a founding member of the Noble Blades and began learning stage combat more than two decades ago when he served as an assistant director and minor actor in a Reston, Virginia production of “that Scottish play which goes unnamed.” Adam has choreographed the fights for more than 40 productions, as well as conducted stage combat workshops throughout the D.C. area and as far afield as England and New Zealand. Beyond stage combat, Adam is also an award-winning director and lighting designer. He holds multiple “real world” jobs to subsidize his addiction to theatre.
Senior Member as of May 25, 2024
Ian Claar

Ian (he/they) has been involved with the Blades since their refouding in 2016 where he serves as Managing Director. He has been involved in the performing arts for nearly 20 years and is a Fight Choreographer, Intimacy Choreographer, Lighting Designer, teaching artist, IATSE stagehand, and arts administrator in the DC Area. He is also an Advanced Actor Combatant and Assoc. Fight Director Candidate with the SAFD, and Associate Member of SDC.
www.LightsAndFights.com
Senior Member as of May 25, 2024
Bess Kaye

Bess (she/they) is a Fight Director and Intimacy Choreographer based in DC. She started training with the Society of American Fight Directors working toward Advanced Actor Combatant status in 2017. Since then, she has choreographed stories of love and violence for several regional theaters including the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Monumental Theatre Company, Flying V, the Washington Stage Guild, Avant Bard, and DC’s Capitol Fringe Festival. She is the Assistant Combat Instructor and Intimacy Director at the Shakespeare Theater Company’s Academy MFA program and teaches stage combat to young actors in Fairfax and Arlington counties. thebesskayescenario.com
Senior Member as of Jun 29, 2024

Company Members

Paul Pesnell

Paul is a stage combatant, actor, singer, musician, and sound designer based out of Northern Virginia. He was recently onstage in RENT at Dominion Stage and Kinky Boots at Rooftop Productions, and was a fighter and fight captain in Macbeth at City of Fairfax Theater Company. He recently sound designed Big Fish at CFTC and Rock of Ages at ASGT, both WATCH nominated.
Company Member as of Jun 15, 2024
Andrew Harasty

Andrew Harasty started stage combat training in 2019, and became a full time actor soon after that. He is currently an Actor Combatant under the SAFD and has done work as both a fight captain and fight choreographer over the past years. Aside from on stage work, he has done lighting design for various stage productions, and was recently elected Company Technical Director for Prince William Little Theater.
Company Member as of Jun 19, 2024
Olivia Hinebaugh

Olivia (she/her) is an author, actor, director, scenic designer, and illustrator who thinks the best part of being a human is connecting with each other through storytelling. She's a parent to three wild and magical children. Professionally, she has worked in education and arts administration, and is passionate about bringing great art to children. Check her out at oliviahinebaugh.com
(Photo: Elizabeth Moon)
Company Member as of Jun 20, 2024
Katie Hoppe

Katherine “Katie” Hoppe began training in stage combat at age 16 under internationally recognized fight master Brad Waller, at The Shakespeare Theatre. Her love for this field of dramatic arts led to membership in the International Order of the Sword and Pen, and later the Society of American Fight Directors, where she holds the rank of Actor Combatant and is certified in Broadsword, Knife, Rapier and Dagger, Single Sword, Sword and Shield, and Unarmed Combat. She is also SAFD certified in Theatrical Firearms. She has trained with the DC Stunt Coalition and holds membership in Dueling Artists International. She currently serves as the Secretary for The Noble Blades stage combat troupe of Northern Virginia. She has trained with such fight masters as Ian Rose, David Boushey, Kevin McCurdy, Casey Kaleba, Robb Hunter, DC Wright and Michelle Ladd.
Company Member as of Jun 20, 2024
James Finley

James Finley is an actor and fight choreographer who has been working in the DC area for over 20 years. He and his work have been seen on many area stages, including with Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club, AvantBard, NextStop, Keegan, Rorschach, Flying V, and Constellation Theatres. He is a company member at Flying V Theatre, achieved Advanced Actor-Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, a member of the International Order of the Sword and the Pen, and licensed as a Professional Wrestler in MD, performing as "Dragonheart" Jim Finley.
Company Member of Jun 27, 2024
Katie Warner

Katie Warner is a performer, teaching artist, fight choreographer, and intimacy director based in the DC Metro Area. An Advanced Actor Combatant with the SAFD, she has spent her whole life training in numerous movement disciplines. She was nominated for a 2023 WATCH Award for Stage Combat Choreography.
Training: Duke Ellington School of the Arts, DC; Sarah Lawrence College, NY (BA, 2022); British American Drama Academy, Oxford (MCP ‘16, MIO ‘22).
You can contact Katie at: kathleen.e.warner@gmail.com
Company Member as of Jul 8, 2024
Eugene Channell

Eugene Channell began his career as an actor, trying to find his place at Spartan Stage Studios, gradually advancing to the role of director for various productions. He soon discovered a passion for fight choreography and becoming a fight captain. Recently, he directed and did fight choreography for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He has also just directed Disney's Descendants.
Company Member as of Jul 14, 2024
Justin Rustle

Justin Rustle (he/him) is a dancer, educator, choreographer, and dance writer originally from Maryland and currently based in the DMV.
He has studied at Maryland Youth Ballet, and Butler University. He also holds a Masters Degree in Performance Studies from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.
For over a decade Justin has been performing and teaching dance across the United States, including with Ballet Arkansas and Bowen-McCauley Dance Company.. He currently performs as a company artist with Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC).
In addition to performing with DTSBDC Justin is currently a faculty member at Baltimore School for the Arts, Senior Faculty at Essence Studios and Hope Garden Children’s Ballet Theater, and a contributing writer covering dance and physical theater for Maryland Theatre Guide.
Company Member as of Sep 9, 2024
Osama Ashour

Osama Mahmoud Ashour is an Actor from the DMV area. He attained his MFA in Acting from the University of Alabama in 2022. Since then he has worked on numerous productions across the country, including the Texas Shakespeare Festival, the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, the Springer Opera House, and Synetic Theatre. He developed a deep appreciation for stage combat through workshops he’s taken at Noble Blades, and is now working towards becoming a certified Actor Combatant.
Company Member as of Oct 7, 2024